On Saturday, August 14, a group of a dozen or so gathered at Amtrak’s Kalamazoo station for a “train ride to the 18th century” to visit the 2010 Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Open House in Niles. The trip, organized by retired Western Michigan University librarian Kay Chase, gave Kalamazoo residents a chance to visit the site of historic Fort St. Joseph, only recently discovered and being gradually unearthed as part of a WMU field school project.

The theme of this year’s open house was “Women of New France,” with demonstrations on cooking, basket weaving, musket firing, and other activities from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Student archaeologists operated an “Outdoor Museum” with details of their work and examples of what has been found.

The fort, active from 1671-1781, was established by the French as a trading post, but ultimately stood under English, Spanish and finally United States rule before being abandoned in 1781—hence the region’s designation as the “Four Flags Area.” The fort played a significant role in the colonial fur trade, and though its existence was known, its exact location remained a mystery until a short time ago.

Fort St. Joseph originally shared a great deal with its northern counterpart, Fort Michilimackinac, but don’t expect a similar reconstruction of the fort in Niles any time soon. The Fort St. Joseph project is still very much in its infancy, and unfortunately, due to the damming of the St. Joe River over the years, much of the site now lies beneath the current water table. Archaeologists must continuously pump water away from the site while they work, then allow the river to reclaim its territory at the end of each season.

What we found most impressive, however, was the enthusiasm displayed by each of the student archaeologists. They are to be commended for cheerfully and knowledgably—if not emphatically—describing their work and bringing their methods and their findings to light for us onlookers. And what they are finding is truly amazing… the remains of a blacksmith’s fire pit, apparent building footings, and a host of artifacts – animal bones, gun parts, tools, buttons, jewelry, and the like. It was a truly inspiring and rewarding experience.

Fort St. Joseph, 1691-1781 : the story of Berrien County's colonial past

H 977.411 P517

On Saturday, August 14, a group of a dozen or so gathered at Amtrak’s Kalamazoo station for a “train ride to the 18th century” to visit the 2010 Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Open House in Niles. The trip, organized by retired Western Michigan University librarian Kay Chase, gave Kalamazoo residents a chance to visit the site of historic Fort St. Joseph, only recently discovered and being gradually unearthed as part of a WMU field school project.

The theme of this year’s open house was “Women of New France,” with demonstrations on cooking, basket weaving, musket firing, and other activities from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Student archaeologists operated an “Outdoor Museum” with details of their work and examples of what has been found.

The fort, active from 1671-1781, was established by the French as a trading post, but ultimately stood under English, Spanish and finally United States rule before being abandoned in 1781—hence the region’s designation as the “Four Flags Area.” The fort played a significant role in the colonial fur trade, and though its existence was known, its exact location remained a mystery until a short time ago.

Fort St. Joseph originally shared a great deal with its northern counterpart, Fort Michilimackinac, but don’t expect a similar reconstruction of the fort in Niles any time soon. The Fort St. Joseph project is still very much in its infancy, and unfortunately, due to the damming of the St. Joe River over the years, much of the site now lies beneath the current water table. Archaeologists must continuously pump water away from the site while they work, then allow the river to reclaim its territory at the end of each season.

What we found most impressive, however, was the enthusiasm displayed by each of the student archaeologists. They are to be commended for cheerfully and knowledgably—if not emphatically—describing their work and bringing their methods and their findings to light for us onlookers. And what they are finding is truly amazing… the remains of a blacksmith’s fire pit, apparent building footings, and a host of artifacts – animal bones, gun parts, tools, buttons, jewelry, and the like. It was a truly inspiring and rewarding experience.